Making split activities start at same time n days apart

[Banksie]

Please give suggestions to address the requirements of our university second language department.

Subjects (EF, EGC, ERD, EC, EAP) are taught during a semester (I set the Year value as 2018-2 = 2nd semester of 2018) with groups of 20 students in multiple sections of the subject - EF 01, EF 02, EF 03, ... EF # / EGC 01, EGC 02, EGC 03, ... EGC # and so on.  I entered the sections as Sub-Groups of the Subjects

A teacher is usually responsible for 2 or 3 sections of a subject and meets with each section twice a week either on Mondays and Thursdays or on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Sections of the same subject are usually taught on the same pairs of days.  For example, if a Teacher is responsible for EF and EGC subjects, the EF sections might be taught on Tuesdays and Fridays and the EGC sections on Mondays and Thursdays.  In addition, the sections of a subject are usually taught in the same class period on both days.

I have attached a copy of Amber's schedule in which she teaches EGC 01 and EGC 02 as well as one section of EAP on Mondays and Thursdays and EF 01 and EF 02 on Tuesdays and Fridays.  In Amber's case, she prefers to have up to two consecutive classes, but other teaches prefer a break between classes.

I entered the Activities for Amber by splitting the Sub-Groups and entering a 3 day minimum between the splits.  I have tried to use various combinations of time constraints (Activities consecutive, grouped or ordered).  The timetable generated places the Sub-Groups (= Subject Sections) into the correct days (for example Monday - Thursday) but in different time periods.  The split Sub-Groups need to be scheduled in the same time periods as shown in the attached document.

Could you please give guidance on which constraints to use to give a schedule similar to that attached to this post.

[Liviu Lalescu]

You need to add constraint activities same starting hour (not time, which equals day+hour, and not day).

Also, you can use max days between activities constraints (max 3 days). The min 3 days between activities constraints are added simpler when you add the activities.

Also, you can use min gaps between activities constraints, for the activities of the same teacher, if needed.

Also, note that a students year name is not mandatory to be 2018-something. The students are simply organized into years, groups and subgroups. You can name them whatever.

[Banksie]

Thanks Liviu for the speedy response.  All of these suggestions worked for me.  The program is quite amazing.